Dretch
Size/Type: Small Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil)
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 size, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-1
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d6+1) and bite +2 melee (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, summon demon
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron or good, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity and poison, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Spot +5, Search +2, Survival +0 (+2 following tracks)
Feats: Multiattack
Environment: A chaotic evil-aligned plane
Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3-5), crowd (6-15), or mob (10-40)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 3-6 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment: +2
A dretch is about 4 feet tall and weighs about 60 pounds.
Dretches cannot speak but can communicate telepathically.
Dretches are slow, stupid, and not very effective combatants. In one-on-one combat, they rely on their damage reduction to keep them alive. In groups, they depend on sheer numbers to overcome foes and immediately summon other dretches to improve the odds in battle. They flee at the first sign of adversity unless more powerful demons are present to intimidate them into fighting. Dretches’ fear of their greater kin is stronger then even their fear of death.
A dretch’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Spell-Like Abilities
1/day—scare (DC 12), stinking cloud (DC 13). Caster level 2nd. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Summon Demon (Sp)
Once per day a dretch can attempt to summon another dretch with a 35% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.
Telepathy (Su): Dretches can communicate telepathically with creatures within 100 feet that speak Abyssal.
It's not much to work with, but they have decent stat adjustments:
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 11, Cha 11
We get: +2 Str, +4 Con, -6 Int (or -5?)...yeesh.
We want this to remain a "minion" feel for monster, and should not be suitable for players. If it gains HD, it can only increase ability scores, access to skills, and to a minor extent the # and effectiveness of its few SLAs.
Level | BAB | Fort
Save | Ref
Save | Will
Save |
Special | Ability Score
Adjustments |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Lesser Body, Foul Nutrition, Telepathy, SLAs | -2 Int, +1 Str, +1 Con |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Play Dead, Resistance, Summon Dretch
(Optional: Transformation) | +1 Str, +1 Con |
Skills: Hide (Dex), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Spot (Wis), Search (Int), Survival (Wis)
Skill Points equal to 4+Int skills (*4 at 1st level) | A negative Int score does not penalize the Dretch's skillpoints.
The Dretch is an Outsider with (as normal) a d8 HD, good Fortitude saves, breathes, but does not need to eat or sleep & has 60' Darkvision. Unlike most outsiders, due to its lesser status, it has the following, contrary to most outsiders:
Cannot Speak, but understands Abyssal
3/4 BaB progression
Small size & 20' Movement
Poor Reflex and Will saves
DR 2/Cold Iron or Good, +1 per 4 HD.
+3 Natural Armor; this does not increase from the Dretch.
Its natural weapons count as your choice of either Chaotic or Evil aligned, but not both.
Class abilities:
Ability Adjustments: The Dretch starts with a -2 Int. It gains +1 Str and +1 Con at levels 1 and 2 for a total of +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int at 2nd level.
Proficiency: The Dretch is proficient with Claw (primary) and Bite natural weapons, no other weapons, no armor and no shields.
Languages: All Dretch can understand Abyssal, but they cannot speak verbally; attempts to do so result in gibberish.
Bonus Languages (with Int 11+): Common, Infernal, Ignan, Terran, Xorn.
Natural Weapons: The Dretch has 2 primary Claw attacks that deal 1d6+Str damage and 1 secondary Bite attack that deals 1d4+1/2 Str damage.
Foul Nutrition (Ex): Dretch are filthy, slavering creatures and far from appetizing, but can be eaten for sustenance by other Demons. Thus consumed, it allows the baatezu a number of options:
First, the Baatezu may choose to restore 1d8+X+Y HP, where X is equal to the Dretch's HD and Y is equal to the Dretch's total remaining SLA casts (0-level SLAs count as 1/2 spell).
Alternatively, the demon may gain
Resist Energy as a 4th-level spell (70-minute duration) or
Lesser Restoration.
A non-Demon that eats a Dretch finds it mostly disgusting. If forced to eat one, the creature must make a Con save (DC equal to the Dretch's Stinking Cloud SLA) or become
nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds. Non-Demon creatures without a Con score (Such as undead) can eat Dretch as food without becoming nauseated (but gain no extra benefit).
Telepathy (Ex): The Dretch has Telepathy, restricted to the languages it knows (Abyssal by default), which allows it to communicate effectively with others. This extends to 100 feet, +10 feet per HD.
Spell-like Abilities: the Dretch gains a number of SLAs. DC are calculated as 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha.
At 1st level the Dretch gains Scare, as a 1st-level SLA, usable 2/day.
At 2nd level the Dretch gains Stinking Cloud, as a 2nd-level SLA, usable 1/day.
It also gains a limited set of additional SLAs from the list below. It may cast three Cantrips/day and one 1st-level SLA per day. Every 3 HD it gains, the Dretch can gains 1 additional casting for both 0-level & 1st-level SLAs.
0 Level - The Dretch gains access to the following Cantrips as SLAs:
create water, cure minor wounds, know direction, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, prestidigitation.
1st Level - The Dretch has access to the following 1st-level spells as SLAs:
bane, detect good & law, detect chaos & evil, endure elements, faerie fire, longstrider, obscuring mist, inflict light wounds, protection from energy, scare, sleep.
Play Dead (Ex):Upon taking damage that would reduce it to 0 HP (or less) but not kill it outright, the Dretch may immediately throw itself to the ground as if slain. It becomes Prone and as long as it doesn't take any Swift, Move or Standard actions, it has Fast Healing 1 until its HP total becomes 1. A creature may take a DC 12 Heal or Sense Motive check to determine that it's not dead; Demons get a +10 to this roll. This cannot be used to endure the process of being eaten (See Foul Nutrition).
Resistance: At 2nd level, the Dretch has reached its maturity. It takes half damage from any source of Electricity or poison damage, and poisons take twice as long to apply secondary effects.
At 7 HD or more, the Dretch becomes immune to both Electricity and Poison.
Summon Dretch (Su): At 2nd level, 1/encounter, the Dretch may summon another Dretch with HD equal to its own -1; the summoned Dretch loses this ability for the duration of its summoning.
----
Transformation: The Abyss is a vast and infinite place of despair; most Dretch live their pitiful lives in terrible or unwinnable situations. But with so much space, a rare few manage to find a means to transcend their form into a newer, better demon. This transformation takes anywhere from a couple days to several months, depending on the power it gains. Regardless, the Dretch retains whatever HD, BaB, Saves & skills it's gained as well as its Telepathy, SLAs, and Resistance.
The Dretch loses its Lesser Body (including DR and Natural Armor), its Natural Weapons, Foul Nutrition, Play Dead, Summon and Transformation qualities, all of which are replaced by the new Demon and its traits as it takes the first level from the class below:
Demonhive (infestation)
JovocArrow DemonSuccubusBebilithMarilithSorrowswornDeath DrinkerBalor
